CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Hilton Brook House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were assessed and managed, staffing appeared timely, and medicines were generally stored and given safely, although some boxed medicine stock checks were not consistently completed.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and care plans were reviewed monthly. Staff were trained, dietary needs were met, and people received suitable support from other professionals when needed.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff supported people to make choices, remain independent and move away from activities when they wanted to.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care records were individualised and person-centred. People had activities suited to their interests, complaints were handled through a policy, and end of life plans were being improved.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The management team was described as approachable and committed to improvement. Audits were carried out and errors led to action plans, although staff did not receive team meetings.
What inspectors found, February 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some records needing improvement.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 14 January 2019. One inspector and an expert by experience visited the home. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and a visiting professional, observed care, and checked care, medicines and management records.
The inspectors found that people were happy and felt safe. Staff knew people well, respected their choices and supported their independence. Care plans reflected people's needs, food and activities were suitable, and the home was clean.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This was the same overall rating as the previous inspection, published on 21 March 2016. A Good rating means the inspectors found that legal requirements were met and that people received consistently good care.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe, could call for help and saw staff respond in a timely way. Staff understood safeguarding responsibilities and people's individual risks.
“People said they felt safe living at Hilton Brook House.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff treat people with compassion and respect. Staff supported privacy, dignity and independence without rushing people.
“People were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.” from the report
Personalised support
Care records included individual information, and people and relatives were involved in planning care. Activities reflected people's interests and choices.
“Care records contained information that was individualised and person-centred.” from the report
Good food and nutrition
The home met people's nutritional needs, including special diets. People reported enjoying the food and having choices, drinks and snacks.
“Specific dietary requirements were met and catered for.” from the report
Approachable management
People and staff described the manager as approachable. The management team used audits, feedback and outside advice to improve the service.
“The registered manager and the management team demonstrated a shared responsibility and commitment to continually driving improvement in the home creating positive experiences for people.” from the report
Medicine stock records
needs fixingSome checks of boxed medicines were not completed consistently. The report says this was corrected immediately and individual stock count sheets were introduced.
“Some stock level checks of boxed medications were not consistently completed.” from the report
Some care documentation was still being improved
minorRecords were being improved to include all relevant protected characteristics, including sexual orientation. End of life care plans were also being made more detailed.
“The registered manager and the care manager were improving their documentation to consider other protected characteristics such as sexual orientation.” from the report
- 01How do you now check and record stock levels for boxed medicines?
- 02Have the care records been updated to cover all relevant protected characteristics?
- 03How detailed are your current end of life care plans, and how are residents and families involved in them?
- 04How do staff share information and raise concerns if there are no regular team meetings?
- 05What changes have been made since the plans to extend and refurbish the home were discussed?
This was an unannounced planned inspection that looked at the overall service and all five key questions; the previous overall rating was also Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 February 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Hilton Brook House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 October 2014.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
57 live-in carers within about an hour of Shropshire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £960 to £1,230 a week. 52 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.